Little by Little
by Lilo.May
Summary: A collection of drabbles and short stories about Lily Evans and James Potter. Most of these stories are sweet little moments that take place between the two mainly during their sixth and seventh years at Hogwarts.
1. Valentine Cards

**Valentine Cards**

Today was a bad day. No, it was worse; it was a horrid day. It was Valentine's Day.

Lily Evans locked herself up in the dorm after breakfast. She lay on her bed with the hangings drawn. She did not want to talk to anyone and only wanted the company of _Witch Weekly._ It was a Saturday, a Hogsmeade day. No Valentine to call her own. There would be mushy-gushy couples anyway. She already felt horrible enough without them. She was content to stare at the hangings and flip through her magazine.

"Lily? Lily? Are you there?" Her best mate called from the other side of the curtain.

"Yeah?" Lily was a bit depressed. Her best mate even had a Valentine.

"Lily? Are you ok? You don't sound like it."

"Yeah, I'm fine."

"As long as you say so... Anyway, these came for you." Her hand entered though the hanging with a pile of cards. Lily took them laying them down beside her.

"Are you coming to Hogsmeade?" her friend asked.

"Not planning on it."

"Well, if you change your mind, hope to see you there. Otherwise, I'll see you at the feast." She left the dorm. Lily put down the magazine and looked the cards beside her. She opened them one by one.

A card from home. A few from her friends. The last card she opened read:

Roses are Red.

Violets are Fine.

I am asking you

Be my Valentine?

-James

Lily read the card repeatedly. Butterflies took over her stomach. Putting the cards down, she left her enclosure. She got her cloak and ran downstairs.

She had a Valentine. It was not going to be such a horrid day after all.


	2. Cloak Fitting

**Cloak Fitting **

Lily Evans stood on a footstool in the back of Madame Malkin's Robes for All Occasions as a plump witch tailored the cloak she had on. Lily was all stiff and straight with her arms out. She thought it would be really hard to be a Muggle scarecrow. In the mirror in front of her, she could really see how the emerald-green color of the cloak really brought out her eyes.

The shop door open and a grumpy witch greeted the customer and escorted him to the back. Lily just stood there on her stool admiring herself in the mirror.

"Hello, Evans." Lily glanced over and saw that the footstool next to hers was occupied by none other than James Potter. She stiffened up a bit, and it wasn't that the plump witch poked her with the needle, again.

"Hello, Potter." Lily was determined to keep looking in her mirror. No way was she going to look over and give him any ideas.

"So, how was your summer?" James was trying to be friendly and make a conversation.

"It was… good. How was yours?"

"It was also good. So, Evans, are you the new Head Girl?" Lily looked over eyeing him carefully.

"Why do you want to know?"

"Well… I…" James's hand jumped up and messed up his hair. _Should I tell her that I've been named Head Boy?_

"Put your hand down and arms straight out!" barked the witch tailoring James's cloak. James did what was he told and thought fast.

"I thought that you were the only person worthy enough for Head Girl and just wanted to know if they made you it."

Lily looked back into her mirror, trying to hide her blush. "Why, yes, I did get made Head Girl."

"All done miss," said the plump witch taking the cloak off of Lily. Lily stepped off the stool paying the witch and walking towards the front of the store.

"Bye, Lily!" James called from the back.

Lily stopped at the door and turned around. "Bye, Ja… Potter." She blushed and hurried out the door before anything more was said.


	3. Surprise!

**Surprise!**

_Happy Birthday to Me,_

_Happy Birthday to Me,_

_Happy Birthday Dear Lily,_

_Happy Birthday to Me._

Some birthday this is. Bundled up on Hogwarts's grounds, I walked around while kicking the snow in my path. You would think that I, Lily Evans, would have something better to do on my 18th birthday. But, no, I am out here facing this bitter cold.

My mates could be along with me, but I have not seen them since last night. Yep, this morning I wake up and find the room empty. So is the common room. So I have not gotten one birthday wish from anyone. I am wondering if they even remembered my birthday. Strangely enough, I have not received anything from home. Maybe this is all one big joke. Yeah, that is it, one big joke.

Really, some birthday this is. My nose is going the same color as my hair and snow has gotten into my boots. I am probably better off inside, where it is warm, to have my pity party.

Ok, this is strange. Nobody, and I mean _nobody_, is here inside the castle, not even a teacher or single ghost. This is getting strange. Everybody should be back from holiday, since the new term started a couple of weeks ago. Very strange… where could all of Hogwarts hide? The Great Hall is probably the biggest room to hold the whole castle, but it happened to be empty.

"Lily! Lily!"

That is probably my imagination playing tricks on me. Yeah, that is really funny imagination.

"Lily! Lily!"

Ok, give it up imagination. I know it is you. But you are really good. You actually sound like someone I know.

"Lily!" There is a hand on my shoulder. Boy, my imagination _is_ good. "Lily." The hand turned me around. It was not my imagination, but James Potter. "I've been looking for you."

"James, do you know what's going on? I've haven't seen…"

"I'll explain later." James grabs my hand and takes off pulling me along.

We went up many floors, corridors, and passages I didn't knew existed. So I was very lost when he stopped in the middle of an empty corridor. There were no doors or decorations, nothing.

"James, where…"

"Shush…" James starts pacing the length of the corridor.

"What are you…?" I get the "one moment" sign from him as he continues his pacing. I sigh in frustration and lean against the wall watching James. I see nobody today and when I do, they give me very little information or, let alone, let me complete my sentences.

It was about the third time James paced by me there was a door. I swear that door wasn't there before. It just appeared right there, like out of thin air. Please say I'm not going crazy because I'm birthday-deprived.

"James, that door wasn't…"

"Come on." James grabs my hand and pulls me through the door. I look at him a bit confused.

"James, where does this…"

"SURPRISE!"

I look up and see all of Hogwarts right in front of me. I gasp and glance at all of them and around the room. The room was decorated with streamers and balloons with a huge _Happy Birthday_ banner in the middle. Below the banner in the crowd were the rest of the marauders and my best mates huddle around a cake presented towards me. _Happy 18__th__ Birthday Lily!_ Before I could start saying anything, (I was at a loss for words) they started singing:

_Happy Birthday to You,_

_Happy Birthday to You,_

_Happy Birthday Dear Lily,_

_Happy Birthday to You._


	4. Midnight Flight

**Midnight Flight**

_Tap. Tap. Tap._

Agh!

Stupid Owl!

When is it going to learn not to deliver mail in the middle of the night?

_Tap. Tap. Tap._

Stupid Owl!

I'm coming!

It better be something important, like someone is dying or whatnot.

I roll out of bed in my pajamas and threw on my robe as I walked to the window. I tiptoed through the room hoping not to wake any of my roommates. Not that any of them are light sleepers. A snore came from the far side of the room reassuring me of that fact.

"What?" I whisper-shouted as I threw open my window. My tiny owl wasn't waiting outside for me.

"Well, hello to you too, Lily." James Potter was leaning on his broom while he was floating outside my window.

"James!" I continued to whisper-shout. "What are you _doing _here?" James Potter was the last thing I expected tapping on my window in the middle of the night.

"I was up thinking and couldn't sleep," he said with that smug little smile of his. "I was wondering if you would care to join me on a midnight flight."

I looked at him like he was out of his mind. Heck, for all I knew, he probably was.

"James, what were you thinking? We could get into some serious trouble."

"I wasn't," he stated simply. "So, are you coming or what?" He straightened up and his hand was extended towards me.

I nervously glanced at the room behind me wondering, _should I_? All my roomies were asleep, so there was no possible way they could tattle on me. To Heck with it!

"Give me two minutes," I told James remembering I was still in my pajamas.

I rushed over to my trunk and grabbed the first articles of clothing that resembled a shirt and pants and headed to the bathroom.

While I was changing, I realized that I grabbed my favorite pair of jeans and my lucky shirt. Not that I was taking it as a sign or anything. It was just a plain coincidence.

I stepped out of the bathroom fully changed, grabbed my jacket and shoes, and was putting them on as I walked to the window.

"You ready?" James asked again with his hand outreached again. His hazel eyes shined in the moonlight behind his glasses.

I nodded as took his hand and climbed out of the window and onto his broom. Out of my comfort zone and into the unknown.

"Hold on tight," he whispered back to me as I wrapped my arms around his waist.

We zoomed off into the night. The breeze felt good against my face as my hair flowed in the wind.

Snap!

That's the one thing I forgot to check while I was in the bathroom!

Bedhead!

I hoped that my hair was decent, but sometimes it has a mind of its own.

I don't know how long we flew around Hogwarts until James landed by the lake. We got off and my hand went straight to my hair. It felt like it was behaving tonight.

"Wanna walk?" James asked after putting down his broom.

So we walked around the lake, ending up underneath the big oak tree, the Marauder's tree. I sat down and watched the moon dance on the lake. James was also sitting beside me and he looked deep in thought.

"So," I started breaking James's concentration, "what were you thinking about that kept you up?"

"Well…" James started. I sensed his hesitation. Either he was choosing his words very carefully or he didn't want to tell me. "I was thinking about… a flower."

"A flower?" I was shocked. Out of all the things that could've kept him up (plans, pranks, etc.) it happened to be a plant. This had to be a herbology thing; I'm not in herbology, but I haven't heard of the advanced classes studying flowers. I suppose it's a new thing.

"It's not just any flower. I have a special interest in this particular flower."

"Okay…" I really didn't know what to say. James Potter and a _flower_?

"And this flower has had my attention for quite some time," he continued. "And it just fascinates me. It is a beautiful, elegant flower that everyone seems to overlook." James was moving closer to me, but I didn't notice. _A flower?_ "And other people prefer roses or daisies, but I prefer, no, love this flower." James's face was just inches from mine and I had a feeling he was not really talking about flowers.

"And what is this flower?" I asked, but I already knew the answer.

"Lily," he whispered before he kissed me.

The kiss was soft and sweet and he didn't rush. He acted as if he had all the time in the world to get his kiss across. And I could not help myself and I kissed him back.

I finally pulled away after we were kissing what seemed like forever.

"So," I asked a little breathless, "you're not studying flowers in herbology?"

"Who said anything that I'm in herbology?" James smirked as he kissed me again.


End file.
